Time of Mourning
by Yami - The Devil's Advocate
Summary: The path of revenge is not one Sasuke ever wants to look down again, even after the loss of his brother, Jaryia's faith in Sasuke is rewarded after the two of them discus Naruto. (Part of the Water & Blood series)


**Jaryia/Sasuke – Darkness/Revenge – Time of Mourning**

It was cold, it was wet, it was raining, and yet… Sasuke refused to move from where he sat over the grave of his older brother. Kakashi, Sakura and Sai had all tried to convince him to leave after the simple burial they'd given Itachi when they got back to the Village, but Sasuke refused to be moved. It didn't seem appropriate.

 _Itachi was innocent._

His brother was just another sacrifice to keep the peace. And it had all been for him… Itachi gave up everything for him; the least he could do was sit there under the pouring torrent to be with him one last time.

Noticing footsteps, Sasuke frowned to himself as he heard the recognisable gait of his Master.

"Go away, Jaryia-sensei. I've already told the other's- I'll leave when I want to!" he shouted, loud enough to be heard over the sound of the pelting rain.

"I didn't come to make you leave kid. I just thought I'd join you; see if you were up to talking about what's on your mind," He paused." Or just sitting here in silence if you'd prefer that." He sat down on the wet grass near Sasuke, keeping enough space between them so that Sasuke knew he didn't have to talk, but he was there for him if he needed.

Sighing to himself, the boy turned his head to look at his mentor, his frown softening at the look he was given. "I want to hate him, I really do… I want to hate all of them, the elders for giving Itachi his orders, Itachi for accepting them, my parents for plotting a coup… but I can't- I just can't. I understand what they all did and why, so no matter how much I want to hate them, I can't… because I understand why they all did what they did. It would be so easy to hate them all, to seek vengeance for the wrongs they've all done me… but I promised myself I'd always take the right path, not the easy one… no matter how tempting it was."

"Sakura and Kakashi are worried about you… they think you might try and do something stupid and reckless, I told them you just needed some time to yourself to get your thoughts in order, that you'd come to them when you needed them. I'm happy to see my faith in you has been rewarded."

Smiling to himself, Sasuke turned back to Itachi's grave. "Itachi sacrificed so much for me and for this village; it wouldn't sit right with my conscience if I disregarded everything he fought to protect. I'm an Uchiha, we all make our own paths in life, I've made mine and I intend to stand by it till the end."

"And what of Naruto? After what he did, will you still fight for him?" Jaryia asked. He himself was torn- Naruto was a traitor, a murderer and a threat to the Village, but he was also Minato's son, his godson, and his heart and loyalties were at odds with each other.

"Three years ago when I became your student, you asked me what I planned to do about Naruto and I told you that I wanted to find a way to pull him out of his darkness just as he and the rest of Team Seven did for me. But now, I'm not sure there is a path for him back into the light… how do I save someone that doesn't want to be saved?"

Jaryia closed his eyes and took a moment before answering Sasuke's question. It hit a little too close to home. "You stop them. If you can't save them, then the only thing you can do is stop them before they can do too much damage. And you prey you can live with the consequences of what you've both done."

Speaking from his own experiences with Orochimaru, he knew the path Sasuke was walking was definitely not an easy one.

The heavy rain slowly began to ebb away, and in the silence that followed Jaryia's answer, Sasuke looked up at the sky and watched as the dark storm clouds gave way to the warm afternoon sun- it looked like it would be setting soon, but it's warmth would be appreciated by everyone still out.

"I don't want to be the hero who is forced to stop the villain that was once his friend. It's too comic book for me… I'd rather do everything in my power to save the person lost in the dark! It'll make for a more interesting read, don't you think Jaryia-sensei?" He asked, with a radiant smile as he got up of the damp earth and turned to his mentor.

Jaryia stood with an equally bright smile and ruffled Sasuke's drenched hair, putting his arm over his student's shoulder.

"Come one, I'll buy you dinner before you head home."

 **Oh my various God's… this has taken Waaaaaaaay to long to write, this little one-shot if for my darling boyfriend StarSeeker95 who upon hearing that Sasuke would be trained by Jaryia began coming up with more questions about their bond in Shippuuden then I could answer at the time.**

 **Anyway, I hope he and everyone else enjoy it! Please don't forget to review! Or if you have any questions or wish to request a one-shot for this Universe please visit Water & Blood's Tumblr blog 'ask-naruto-with-a-curse-mark' (Flames will be used to power our Fire Jutsu) **


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